People With Spinal Cords Injuries Are Candidates For Bed Sores, Pressure Sores and Decubitus Ulcers

Written by Adam Peck Category: Bed Sores January 23rd, 2013 2 min read

About 11,000 people suffer spinal cord injuries every year in the USA, and more than 250,000 people are living with this type of injury.

Paralysis Increases Risk of Bed Sores

More than one-third of people with spinal cord injuries develop bed sores, also known as pressure sores or pressure ulcers, says Steven Peck, a California Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyer. Complications from such sores kill 60,000 Americans a year. That’s twice the number who die from prostate cancer. About 8% of those with spinal cord injuries die from pressure sores. The sores can be difficult to prevent, Peck says, even for patients who receive the best care.

Bed sores, also known as pressure sores or pressure ulcers, can be caused by friction, when a paralyzed person slides down in bed, or when the body presses on a vulnerable area and cuts off the blood supply. Tissue can die within hours. If bacteria from infected bed sores spread to the blood, patients can develop an infection called sepsis, which can be fatal.

Although pressure ulcers cannot always be prevented, experts say good nutrition and diets with adequate protein reduce the risk. So do “pressure releases,” in which patients shift their weight in wheelchairs. Chairs and beds for quadriplegics also have been specially designed to relieve pressure. A vacuum device can stimulate wounds to close and clean out bacteria. In serious cases, doctors may operate to cut away dead tissue.

But treating bed sores — which sometimes take more than a year to heal — can be both daunting and disruptive. Patients may have to stay in bed for weeks or even months. Pressure sores can leave paralyzed people further disabled and isolated. “It stops your life,” Peck says.

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Written by Adam Peck

Expertise: Personal Injury

Adam J. Peck, ESQ is a principal with Peck Law Group, APC. In 2008, Mr. Adam Peck received his Juris Doctorate from Whittier Law School where he graduated Cum Laude. His practice is primarily dedicated to representing Elders, Dependent Adults, along with their loved ones and family members, who have suffered horrific personal injuries.